Abstract
Social Communication Sociality requires communication among individuals and is common across species. Identifying modes of communication in some systems and species, however, is much less straightforward than in others. Aquatic environments present challenges for communication, especially for species that are nonvocal, such as many fishes. Elasmobranchs are increasingly being shown to have a complex social structure, and manta rays ( Mobula spp.) exhibit many different social behaviors. Perryman et al. characterized the associations between the cephalic lobes in reef mantas, organs known to assist feeding, and various social and behavioral conditions. The authors found clear relationships between specific lobe positions and interactions with other rays, cleaning fishes, and even human divers. These patterns suggest that they may be used in communication, although whether this communication is positional or chemical remains to be seen. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 75 , 51 (2021).
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